It’s really very easy. Buy her book.
Don’t just buy her book (though she’ll love you forever for it). Let her know that you like it. You’d be surprised how many people will take the time to complain to an author about every little thing they disliked in her book and how few bother to let her know they enjoyed it. Writing’s a tough business, and you have to do it for love (because in this recession, there sure isn’t much money for most of us). A few kind words from a reader can make all the difference in an author’s day . . . or week.
So next time you read a book that you enjoy, drop a note to the author. Tell her so.
Then make her really happy, and tell everyone else so, too.
Smart Women 
Marilyn,
Go a step farther… if you really love a book, buy several copies. Then press them on your friends who are looking for a great read. You’ll be surprised at how it makes them want to buy a copy and give it away! When I tell someone I liked it so much, I wanted to have extras to share… it sends its own message. spw
Great idea, Sandee. I always recommend books I liked, but it’s so much more effective to be able to hand the book over instead of just giving the title and author name and hope the person can find it. Wonderful!
Thanks, RD!
Marilyn–
You are so right. Sandee, what a great idea!
Thanks, Meg. (Wish you could be at the meeting tomorrow!)
Marilyn,
You know I love all of your books. But I have to tell you, I absolutely LOVED the latest one!! I’m bringing it to the meeting Saturday for you to sign.
Oh yeah, I even got a stranger in Wal Mart to buy it. Told her how great it was. She’d never read you before but maybe now she’ll look for you. Like I do. (Don’t you just love it when your friends do your promotion for you? hehe) I even moved your books so they’d be more visible on the store shelf.
Thank you bunches, Linda – both for letting me know you enjoyed the book AND for getting the stranger to buy it. I do love when friends talk me up. I don’t know if I’d have the nerve to point out my book to someone who was browsing the romance section, but I’m awfully glad you do!
Yeah. I’m a brazen hussy when it comes to schlepping my friends. lol
And all your friends love you for it!
Thank you much! We all appreciate word of mouth! It means so much to a writer to hear that all the hours alone at the computer have done exactly what she hoped: her words touched someone or made them laugh or cheered them up or gave them hope on a day when they were short of it themselves. And in writing her, you can do the same for her. And for free. Cool!
I love Sandee’s suggestion. But I ‘ve been known to leave a copy in the kind of places people tend to read to pass the time, like a dentist office or doctor’s office.
That’s a good idea, too, Lynn. I have tons of books in the store room. I think I need to pack up a box of them and just begin dropping them off or passing them out to people. I can free up some space and get a few new readers at the same time!
I’ve been lucky so far in that I’ve never gotten a negative reader comment. I did get a “fan” letter (which I kept), then later got a chance to meet the fan at conference. How weird is that?
Oh, honey, I’ve had negative stuff like you wouldn’t believe. I think the two worst were the woman who said I wasn’t fit to be a mother because in my book, the heroine leaves her children with their grandparents for the weekend while she and the hero go out of town to have (gasp!) sex.
The other, the writer just wanted to let me know that it was obvious I knew NOTHING about real life and she could only assume that my editor was either ill or stupid to allow my book to be published the way it was. Her problem? Near the end of the book, the heroine goes to trial for smuggling kids into the US. The whole trial takes up half a chapter, maybe, and not once — NOT ONCE!! — did I mention the media. Why, even a moron knew the media would be all over that case because of her family connections.
My editor forwarded that letter to me with a note to PLEASE not respond. 😉